Interview with Maria of Kokolele Soaps

If you’ve never seen Maria of Kokolele Soaps‘ products, you are in for a treat today. Her melt and pour style is totally unique and her packaging is unmatched in it’s sweetness and completeness. As an active member on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page, we are lucky enough to see Maria’s creations as they are made. Her packaging and her soaps match her optimistic personality perfectly! Prepare to be wowed…

Ever since I was a young girl, my mother always told me, ‘If you are going to do something, there are two ways to do it. The good way or the bad way. You have to decide which one. Never do something fast, just to have be done quickly. Choose the right way, and always take your time.’ I have been soaping all of my life and I try to best I can (thanks mom). My packaging inspiration comes from the determination to makes things right and imagining the look on my customers faces when they open up their packages!

Soap Queen: You have a very unique way of making melt and pour soap. What made you decide to go with Melt & Pour over Cold Process?

I have been making crafts my entire life, and I always like to keep creating things that more unique and different. With melt and pour, I can make thousands of designs and not have to worry about the batch going bad. You can cut it so many different ways and you can always remelt it if it doesn’t turn out how you were expecting, and I really enjoy the freedom and fun that comes from making melt & pour soaps.

Soap Queen:I adore your 3D soaps and their exquisite detail; where did the idea for that come from?

This idea actually came from someone who works at Bramble Berry (thanks Becky). One day I bought a 3D mold on a whim and went and posted on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page about it. I was told that I would just love these molds, and boy were they was right. When it arrived, I looked at and began to brainstorm about all the new, fun and crazy things that I could do with. At first, I thought about making soap on a rope, but then realized everyone was already doing that. I then realized I loved fabric and trimmings and realized that these things could be used in soap to create a beautiful piece of art. Ever since then, I’ve been ordering the 3D molds from Bramble Berry. My favorite so far are the pear, rectangle, and oval ones. This eventually lead to me creating my Latin Collection line which has been such a big success for. In fact, the most recent Latin Collection order I have filled is for over 300 soaps to be sent overseas, all made with Bramble Berry’s 3D Molds.

Soap Queen:What is your favorite Bramble Berry product?

This is such a difficult question and you can’t imagine how many hours I spend looking at your website. I love everything on there (even the products I haven’t used yet). If I had to pick one to be my favorite it would have to be the 25 lbs. of M&P Premium Soap Bases. I adore those big blocks because it challenges me to think about all the different types of soaps that I could make with just one block.

Soap Queen:You have so many incredible designs and ideas for your soaps, which one is your current favorite?

My 3D mold collection has to be my new favorite and I love using Bramble Berry’s 3D molds because I am able to create so many different designs with them.

Soap Queen: If you could share anything with other M&P soapers, what would it be?

Everything! I’m always sharing everything that I know with my customers. When they ask me where I get my molds and bases, I tell them (I love Bramble Berry). I always try to give them instructions and share with them how I’ve made my soap. I do this because I remember when I first started and I had someone known as the Soap Queen help me out taught me to grow as a soaper. If you want to know how I make my soaps (or how others do), don’t hesitate to ask, many of us are willing to share what we are doing because we remember what it was like to be a beginning soaper.

Thanks for chatting with us, Maria! Be sure to check out Maria’s Etsy shop and stop by her Pinterest page for some super soapy inspiration.

40 Comments

She is so talented! Love her products on Etsy. Where can I purchase those large single flower molds that she sells on Etsy. I would like to try making soap gift sets too. I especially love the big 6 petal one.

Maria you are my soap idol,love everything you do, so much talent. I look forward to seeing many more of your amazing creations.
Iam still baffled with how you do it lol I can sit and stare at your designs for a long time scratching my head trying to work out how you done it.

We love everyone’s individual style and loving seeing all the new and creative things that people can do with soap. It is great to see and support this creative vision for so many soapers. We hope you get a chance to share your soaps with us too! If you’d like to share a picture be sure to post it on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page. =)

We absolutely adore Maria’s soaps and are so happy to see that so many others do as well. Her artistry and attention to detail is absolutely amazing and I’m always in awe of what she comes up with for her soap line. =)

We just love her soaps and I’m sure if you contacted Maria, she would be more than happy to help you out. But, I will pass on the suggestion to A-M to see if we can get any guest posts by Maria on the Soap Queen blog. =)

Maria is wonderful! I contacted her almost two years ago because I was enamored with her lovely soaps! I was afraid she wouldn’t be sharing her trade secrets, but she answered every question I asked, even though she is a busy, busy lady!!! Out of the blue, she wrote me a month ago to ask how I was doing! So surprised! I traded her wisdom in all things soap for some crayon templates and she is actually using them! Ha! Ha! Anyway, she got me on my way with JennyLiz Aromatics, Ltd., and my business grows every year!!! Thanks Maria!!!

ohhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…I am so happy!!!..thank you so so so much for your nice and kind and sweet words….it is an honor for me because…..all you are great soapmakers, the best !!!..:)….and my “pretty Soap-Queen AM” is one of my favorites….:)
Now many ladies are writting me asking about some ways to make some of my soaps and I am very happy trying to tell them all I can with my crazy English…:)…but I am send them the links from BB web page and they can see the molds, the famous Calendula that I place inside the soaps and looks great and etc.etc.etc….well, I am talking too much (like a parrot,,,hehehehee) but again thanks a lot to you all beautiful ladies and specialy to the pretty BB team and my pretty Soap-Queen AM….kisses and hugs from Arkansas…♥

We absolutely love Maria’s M&P (Melt & Pour) soaps and were so excited when we were able to feature her (and her soaps) in a blog post on the blog. If you are looking to learn more about M&P soaping and all the fun things you can do with it, check out this link for tutorials, hints and tips and lots of soapy inspiration.

Dear Natalya….don’t miss the “Soap Queen videos”…they are great and you will learn a lot of great things with her, and don;t miss the end of each video, she always has a funny things there makes me smile…well, I love to be laughing 24 hours a day,,,lol……..and I will help you too ..:)….hugs for you…♥

We just adore Maria’s soapy creations and were so happy that we could get an interview with her on the Soap Queen blog. Her soaps are absolutely adorable and she puts such love and detail into them that we couldn’t pass up this opportunity! =)

ops Marielitos..I wrote for you on the botton, I didn’t know I could do it here…heheheheeee….did you see the great Spanish from Becky???…I love Becky, she always make me to buy a lot of stuff and after…I am always so happy having all these great products…..gracias Becky por tus lindas palabras y por ser siempre tan bella conmigo…:)…(it means—> thanks Becky for your pretty words and for being always so beautiful with me)….♥

We absolutely love seeing posts from Maria on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page because we know we are going to get something exciting and new from her! I always adore the bright, vibrant colors she uses with her amazing designs. =)

ahhhhhhhhhhhh Alberta, you always so sweet…I am very happy knowing you had tryed my Kokolele soaps…I have more for you, come to see meeeeeeee my pretty friend..hugs and a lot of kisses for you and Jim…with love…♥

Anne-Marie knew that when she saw Maria’s soaps that she definitely wanted to feature them on the Soap Queen blog, and we all agreed with her. I just love the detail that she puts into them and get excited whenever she posts a new soap on Bramble Berry’s Facebook page. =)

I can’t use melt and pour on my skin but when I saw Maria’s soaps for the first time..WOW!!!! I sure fantasized about doing exactly that! I am amazed at the creativity she has with such essentially basic ingredients. I will most likely wind up buying some of her delicious creations and maybe just sorta staring at them wistfully. Lol.
Peace, Scherry AvieMare Body Care Productshttp://www.facebook.com/aviemarebodycare

Scherryyyyyyyyy….try the BB Aloe Base and the BB Honey….they are great, my grandkids since the were born, they used my soaps and….perfect!!! I have very delicate skin, I am so white, like a gosh…heheheheheeee, and these BB Base are great…even I am looking younger…YaY!!!…:)….xoxo~♥

I totally agree with you, such amazing soaps from such an amazing soaping artist! =) All of us gals in the office just love Maria’s soaps and were so tickled when Anne-Marie bought a few of her soaps. We all got to see them in person and were oohing and ahhing in the office over the cute and adorable designs. =)

ahhhh Rhonda….you are an Angel…I’ve tryed your soaps and all them are super-mega-great and spectacular…..you know you are a very special lady for me….many hugs and kisses…:) and…thanks youuuuuuuuu soooooooooo much for your coment…well, you are right,no only about “beautiful soaps”…you are right about “beautiful woman”…hehehehheheeeee…:) 🙂 🙂

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